Anyone who comes across the recent news which happens to exemplify the horrid status of animal abuse in Egypt would be struck by the alarming lack of humanity plaguing Egyptian streets. One might attribute the self-oriented preoccupations of the Egyptian man to the plummeting economic conditions of the nation, but to pass this judgment without looking into the more foundational basis for such inhumane actions would present a case of nation-wide moral crisis, a basis which is only the one culprit behind the majority of the societal issues we face in our day-to-day. In order not to stretch this topic out more than it needs to be, let us turn our attention to what the recent news headlines have to say about animals and animal rights in Egypt.
A few days ago, a man was caught on film speeding down the road in his car somewhere in First Settlement, New Cairo with a dog tied to the bottom of the rear and being dragged with brute friction across the asphalt, sustaining life-threatening injuries. The video went viral across all social media platforms and was met with a huge public uproar and an urgent call for governmental intervention. Fortunately, the felon in question was deemed guilty, asserted, and was sent to meet the legal consequences of his immoral and cruel actions. This very same incident reminds some of another that took place less than 30 days ago when a girl lost her two Husky dogs in the North Coast and took to the whole length of the coast in search for them but of no avail. This disappointing and disheartening misfortune was on account of the collective nonchalance and the meager aid which she received. She raised the issue to the online domain with a monetary price of 10,000 L.E. for whoever finds the dogs, after which the whole thing was pushed to the backdrop by multitudes of other inconsequential news topics and no updates were made.
Although incidents concerning animal abuse appeal to our emotions and move us poignantly, the lack of merciful and thoughtful actions when it comes to animals should not come as a surprise. Animals are regarded globally as lesser life forms, wherein they are left to die and/or sustain the most gorish injuries on the streets with nobody to listen to their unintelligible yet piercing screams for help. Laboratory tests are performed on animals and their lives are ruthlessly compromised for the convenience of humans. Or, if they are domesticated and admitted into households as “pets”, are left with little attention and care in the overarching silence for hours while the household human members leave to tend to their occupational obligations. Despite the unviability of optimal care, the least we could do is make sure that those animals are put in safe territories where the resources necessary for a decent life are made available. The logical line of argument which states that caring for animals is futile given the already prevalent treacherousness of their natural habitats is just utterly ludicrous, for we are not animals; we are humans, with a moral compass that guides our actions, and a humanitarian system which values and caters to all forms of life.